Extension Troubleshooting
KiCad CLI Not Found
Run KiCad: Detect kicad-cli from the command palette, or set kicadstudio.kicadCliPath in the extension settings. The supported KiCad version policy is documented in the support matrix.
Workspace Trust Blocks Commands
Restricted Workspace Trust keeps read-only language and viewer features available, but disables commands that launch local processes or write generated files. Manage trust from VS Code with workbench.action.manageTrust.
Viewer Does Not Render
Check that the workspace contains a valid .kicad_sch or .kicad_pcb file and that the file is not empty or malformed. Viewer behavior and rendering fallback policy are covered by the generated viewer and test strategy references:
MCP Tools Are Disconnected
Use the MCP Tools view to inspect endpoint, transport, profile, server-info, and capability state. The compatibility dashboard reports the MCP server name and version, endpoint and transport, protocol and tool schema versions, KiCad CLI path and version, live GUI availability, live PCB and schematic context, advertised tools/resources/prompts, missing required tools, missing optional capabilities, last health check, last error, and remediation hint.
Treat a degraded dashboard state as a connected server with missing runtime guarantees. Common degraded causes include an unavailable live PCB context, VS Code stdio transport for HTTP-only workflows, disabled stateless Streamable HTTP, missing ChatGPT connector compatibility, or missing extension-required tools. Use the dashboard actions to reconnect, refresh capabilities, open or save the MCP log, pick a profile, switch endpoint, launch the local MCP server, or open compatibility docs.
For setup details, see:
Error Reporting
Telemetry and error reporting are opt-in and disabled by default. The policy and event classes are documented in telemetry and error reporting.